bit -- Definition

bit is an abbreviation for ``binary  digit''.  It is the basic unit of data
processing.  A  bit can have  a value of  either zero or one.   Bits can be
concatenated to form bytes.

A bit  can be used  either as a  placeholder to construct a  number with an
absolute value,  or as a  flag whose value  has a particular  meaning under
specially  defined circumstances.   In  the former  use, a  string of  bits
builds an  integer.  In the  latter use, a  string of bits forms  a map, in
which each bit has a meaning other than its numeric value.

See Also

bit map,
byte,
nybble,
Programming COHERENT,
ANSI Standard, §1.6

© 2012 by Stephen A. Ness